The Story of Ahara Kurosaki
by UltimateReader18
Summary: Ahara's always been on a huge roller coaster as a Shinigami, where things are never simple. She goes through life with several hurt feelings over several things that have happened to her but she stays strong. Always, or so she hopes she does...IchiRuki, Possible HitsuOC or HitsuHina.
1. Introduction

_ A pair of new parents sat in the hospital watching their newborn baby boy flail and coo from the little cradle on wheels in the nursery. Both had a huge boulder of grief resting in their stomachs._

_ Masaki and Isshin Kurosaki had gone to the hospital some 20 hours before expecting to have two beautiful babies, twins if you will. A girl first, then a boy. Isshin and Masaki had worried as they watched the little girl get swept away from them after the nurse had cut the umbilical cord. They sure had heard the boy's loud wails over the urgent whispering of the doctors and nurses. Then the head doctor in the room had requested that Isshin come outside so that they could talk._

_** The doctor pulled down his face mask and pulled off his gloves off slowly, staring down at his hands.**_

_** "Doctor, can you please explain why my little girl was taken from us before either of us got the chance to hold her?" Isshin demanded, wringing his own hands and staring worried holes into the man's head. The doctor sighed, finally meeting Isshin's eyes. Isshin knew, from the look in the doctor's eyes, what was coming next.**_

_** "I'm sorry Mr. Kurosaki, but your girl, she never made it past the womb alive, in other words… your daughter was a still born child, there was really nothing we could have done, it was already too late…I'm sorry sir," the doctor explained, watching the horror register on the new father's face, like he had seen several other times, yet he never got used to the grief he felt for them.**_

_ "Why our little girl honey? Why little Ahara? She could've been beautiful, strong, happy, loved… She'll never have the chance to know us….or even her brother…" Masaki whispered hugging Isshin, looking for comfort. Isshin wrapped a tender arm around her shoulders, giving her a loving squeeze, tears forming in his eyes. The crying had finished way before, but the grief was once again crushing him as he was sure it was crushing his wife._

_ "I don't know darling…I don't know…and I know she would have been beautiful, how could she haven't have been, with a gorgeous mother like you," Isshin told her, trying to get her to smile, to ease her pain off her shoulders. He got a small strangled noise that he took for a laugh as a reward._

_ "I just hope," Masaki stopped, her heart clenching in grief again, "I just hope, that where ever my little star is, I hope she's ok and well…."_

_ Ahara Kurosaki slept peacefully in a small bundle on the floor of a wooden shack that had huge patches in the roof with sunlight streaming through._

_ "Is this the daughter of Isshin?" a deep, ancient voice asked._

_ "Yes Head Captain, her reistu is very powerful, even as a newborn babe" a female whispered, touching Ahara's forehead._

_ "Ichimaru Gin, I assign you to watch over and protect this infant until she is powerful enough to control her own reistu" the Head Captain ordered, glancing at the sharp face of the lieutenant next to him._

_ "Oh of course Captain, I have to follow orders" Ichimaru replied, the constant slightly creepy grin on his face growing larger. The Head Captain rumbled his approval, turning on his heel and gliding away, leaving awe and fear in his wake. Ichimaru Gin unslitted his eyes the smallest bit and gazed at the small baby sleeping on the floor without whimpering._

_ Already small tufts of brilliant orange hair were growing out of her scalp, giving the impression that her head was on fire. Gin slid down the wall gingerly and closed his eyes, deciding to rest easy, since she was asleep._

* * *

_ Ahara Kurosaki stared in wonder at the beautiful river that flowed just outside her new district. Since she had to be watched, the Shinigami had decided to move her and Gin to a richer part of the Rukongai. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the brightly colored fish swim past, riding the current. She spotted a small movement out of her exceptional outside vision. She looked up from the river to see a small white haired boy cautiously approaching the river, seeming to want to leave since she was there. Ahara straightened from her crouch and smiled brightly at the small boy, which seemed to alarm him more. Ahara walked over to him, causing him to tense like a deer ready to run._

_ "Hi, my name's Ahara, what's your name?" Ahara asked, slightly blunt. The boy stared at her in surprise, as if he had expected her to avoid talking to him._

_ "T-Toshiro Hitsugaya" the boy sputtered, seeming not to know how to talk to another person properly._

_ "Why are you scared of me? I'm just a child soul like you" Ahara inquired, tilting her head slightly. The boy peered at her._

_ "Why don't you call me a freak like everyone else?" Toshiro snapped back, a little agitated. Ahara frowned, staring at her new acquaintance._

_ "Cause you don't look like a freak to me…" Ahara muttered, staring deep in his turquoise eyes. The boy seemed to be sizing her up._

_ "Is it cause you pity someone like me?" Toshiro asked harshly, "is it just cause you have weird features like me?!" Ahara took a small step back, a little appalled._

_ "I don't pity you, you should learn to accept that you are different and learn to make a place for yourself if people don't like you being different" Ahara barked, crossing her arms. Toshiro stared at the girl, skeptical. She seemed to be different than everyone else, she didn't care that his hair was white or that his turquoise eyes looked like they could stare into your soul._

_But…her hair is just as strange as mine, and she does the same thing with those brown eyes of hers that I do with mine….__Toshiro considered thoughtfully as Ahara stared him down._

_ "You're right, sorry for being rude, so you said your name was Ahara, got any family here with you?" Toshiro asked. Ahara shook her head slightly, withdrawing inside herself slightly._

_ "No, I live with my mentor Ichimaru Gin though, he's one of those Shinigami folks" Ahara replied excitedly._

_ "Oh, my friend Momo is training to be one of those Shinigami things" Toshiro interjected, "but she always calls me 'Little Shiro' and I hate it…that bed wetter…" Ahara laughed slightly._

_ "But you're not little; you're just as tall as I am, so that's not little" Ahara told him, comparing their heights with her hand. Toshiro smiled halfway, he was going to like this girl once he got to know her._

_ "What's your favorite color? Favorite animal? All that good stuff!" Ahara blurted, sitting cross legged by Toshiro. Toshiro came off as a little shocked, having never talked with anyone other than Momo and his Granny like this._

_ "Well…I like the color white, and I think dragons are pretty cool, I like watermelon and amanatto a lot too," Toshiro replied slowly._

_ "I like the color orange, like a lot, and my favorite animal would have to either be a wolf or a fox, though foxes kinda remind me of Gin-shisho, but, isn't amanatto for older people?" Ahara inquired. Toshiro scowled slightly._

_ "I am not an old man! I can like whatever I want!" Toshiro growled. Ahara laughed, holding her hands up in surrender._

_ "No Toshiro, I meant no hypocrisy, I think amanatto is pretty good too. But I like __Chāhan a lot…" Ahara mused quietly. Toshiro sighed.__ The two continued talking until Gin came to get Ahara sometime later._

_ "Bye bye Toshiro!" Ahara called, waving to the small kid. Toshiro waved back._

* * *

_ Ahara ran towards the Shino Academy with Toshiro running alongside her._

_ "Isn't this exciting Toshi?! We're finally going to the Shino Academy with Momo!" Ahara cheered as they both ran._

_ "And it's going to be your fault if we're late Aha!" Toshiro yelled back, laughing as her face fell._

_ They both slowed to a walk as they merged in with the other newcomers of the Academy. Ahara was panting and the pony tail that she had her long orange hair in was already ruffled, her brown eyes watched and observed everything in front of her with bright curiosity. Toshiro pulled her towards the large doors as a voice over a news speaker greeted them all and told them welcome. Ahara got separated from Toshiro as he ran off in a different direction. Ahara frowned; it felt as though her second half had disappeared. She tried dodging several of the students but bumped into them anyway._

_ "Hey! Watch where you're going freaky freshman!" an older student snarled, shoving Ahara into a wall. Ahara hit the wall hard and sunk to her knees against the wall, holding her cheek. Ahara stood up and trudged forward against the wall, staring at the floor. Ahara got signed up for classes, then a dorm, and then she explored her new home._

_ Ahara attended the advanced classes with Toshiro, but the sensei had them sitting as far away from each other as was physically possible. Ahara listened halfway, half the time looking out the window. Ahara later sat under a tree during her break time with a bento box that Gin had given to her. Toshiro never joined her._

_ Toshi…you promised that we wouldn't be separated like this…I'm all alone in a sea of new faces… Ahara thought sadly, picking at her bento box. Suddenly three older students joined her, sitting across from her._

_ "Hey, my names Izuru Kira, I saw those other kids push you down earlier, sorry I couldn't help, you ok?" the blond kid asked. Ahara nodded shakily, slightly scared._

_ "I'm Renji, Renji Abarai, this is Rukia, sorry if we have no manners, we grew up in a lower Rukongai district than…you and Izuru from what I can tell" Renji interjected, biting into a sandwich, spilling several crumbs._

_ "I know **I **have more manners than you Renji, but pleasure to meet you…uhm" Rukia stopped, looking at Ahara._

_ "A-Ahara Kurosaki" she replied quietly, "do you know a Momo Hinamori?" Renji and Izuru looked at each other._

_ "Yeah, I know Momo, why?" Renji replied a little sharply. Ahara flinched._

_ "Was she eating with a white haired kid, kinda short looking?" Ahara asked meekly. Renji nodded, biting into his sandwich again. Ahara sighed, putting down her bento box and staring at the grains of rice. Her rage welled up and she slammed her fist into the tree behind her, breaking off the bark and effectively breaking the skin on her knuckles._

_ "What's wrong Ahara?" Izuru asked quickly, shocked. Ahara got to her feet, ignoring the small rivulets of blood dropping to the ground; she stormed off to her next class and sat in her seat until break time was over._

_ By the time her classes were over she was thoroughly regretting not eating and her knuckles were giving her a slow throb of pain. By the time she got home, with Gin waiting there, her temper had risen to new levels._

_ "Someone's irritated…" Gin commented casually from the doorway as she washed her injured hand in the water basin._

_ "Just leave me alone" Ahara snapped, grabbing a strip of cloth and tying it around her freshly opened cuts. Ahara stormed back out and went into the forest for a while. She started slamming her fist into whatever she could reach, including boulders that stuck out of the ground. She was about to slam her severely bloodied fist into a huge fir when Gin caught her hand from nowhere._

_ "My, my, let's get you home and you can explain these theatrics to me" Gin sighed, pulling her toward the house. Ahara fought, tugging at her arm insistently. Eventually Gin got her back to the house and washed the bark slivers, dust, and dirt from the ragged splits in her skin over her knuckles. As he bandaged them he stared at her, slowly crumbling her will with the silence._

_ "What happened?" Gin asked harshly. Ahara wouldn't meet his eyes; instead she stared out of the door determinedly. Gin stared at the little bit of brown in her eyes that he could see and he saw hurt, betrayal, and much more in that little bit of brown he could see. Gin frowned._

_ "I'm guessing that your first day didn't go well" Gin sighed. Ahara's eyes watered slightly but she instantly overpowered the sad with the anger and clenched her fists, sending waves of pain up her arms._

_ "Nothing ever goes well for me…" Ahara snapped, getting up and plopping herself down on her mat._

* * *

_ About two years later Ahara didn't talk to Toshiro very much anymore, nor did she have to. Ahara had been sent out on a field training mission and when she came back everyone was talking about that freaky white haired kid who had graduated early and how some other kid had disappeared. She froze, causing Renji and Izuru to touch her shoulders and stare at her face._

_ "TRAITOR!" she screamed, taking off running, tears flying behind her and blinding her. She wiped her eyes and ran directly into someone. She fell to her bottom and looked up, gaping at who she saw. It was the Captain of the squad 6 from the Gotei 13, and he had Rukia behind him. Ahara couldn't move, she was scared that she was going to be murdered cause she was the one who ran into him. The Captain looked down at her, a cold look in his eyes._

_ "Move brat" he barked. Ahara scooted out of the way, watching as he continued forward. Rukia quickly grasped Ahara's hand as she passed and kept going, leaving Ahara behind with other students gaping at the Captain as well._

_ Ahara later sat under the tree where she first met Renji, Rukia, and Izuru, crying her heart out. She felt a tender hand touch her shoulder, causing her to look up, she saw Momo gazing down at her._

_ "You ok Ahara?" Momo asked. Ahara's face quickly rearranged to a look of blank boredom._

_ "I'm fine Momo" Ahara replied coolly, getting up and leaving the girl behind._

_ Ahara gripped her sword tightly as she faced the Hollows one after another, doing what she had been trained for, she had trained for 6 years to become a Shinigami, and she hoped that her abilities were enough to get her a seated position._

_ After her final test she kneeled in a small empty room, waiting for a proctor to walk through the door with the Captain of her new squad._

_ Her heartbeat sped up as she heard two sets of footsteps coming towards her, and she sensed something familiar about the reistu that approached her. She shook it off as being the proctor. The door opened and she bowed low, her hands on the ground._

_ "Pleasure to meet you Captain" Ahara stated shakily, not looking up yet._

_ "Kurosaki Ahara, from today on you shall be a Shinigami for Squad 10 under Toshi-"Ahara stopped hearing clearly, she looked up slowly, absorbing the Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori over it, along with the green sash and star clip, the personal zanpakuto on his back, the pale skin complexion, the white hair, and the superior turquois eyes that stared down at her, a small smirk clear on his face. Ahara's eyes widened to the size of saucers._

_ "T-Toshir-" Ahara began. Toshiro tutted, that smirk disappearing._

_ "You will address me as Captain Hitsugaya, nothing else" Toshiro snapped. Ahara glared at the short Captain before her._

_ "I want…a different squad" Ahara snarled between her teeth, hoping that Toshiro could read her meaning in her eyes._

_ Toshiro could indeed see a lot in those hard angry eyes of Ahara's. He saw hurt, betrayal, fury, sadness, loneliness, and a lot more than the last time he saw her. Toshiro knew that Ahara's eyes were like little windows into her heart, and he felt that most of those feelings in her heart were his fault._

_ "No one else volunteered" Toshiro replied smoothly after a moment, trying to cover his hesitation. The proctor glanced at him. Toshiro ignored her, he knew that several other squads wanted her, including squads 3, 6, 8, 11, and 13, but he was the one who won and he was going to make it worth it. They had been best friends after all._

**Okay! Sorry for deleting the last Ahara Kurosaki story, but! I do believe this one is better! Please forgive me! Anyway, this kind of serves as an introduction but I felt that you needed it, it'll explain a little more than the last one did! Anyway in the next chapter, they're going to be in a different time frame, and Ahara's going to be Toshiro's third seat, just a little teaser! Love you all **

**~UltimateReader18**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I do believe you got a little teaser with the last chapter; Ahara is now Toshiro's seat three. So anyway, my birthday was on the 5****th****, so I celebrated with my brother and my cousin the amazing; Kalafina94. Go read a few of her stories; it's totally worth looking at. Anyway, this is short and sweet, and I love you all.**

_Recap:_

"_Kurosaki Ahara, from today on you shall be a Shinigami for Squad 10 under Toshi-"Ahara stopped hearing clearly, she looked up slowly, absorbing the Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori over it, along with the green sash and star clip, the personal zanpakuto on his back, the pale skin complexion, the white hair, and the superior turquois eyes that stared down at her, a small smirk clear on his face. Ahara's eyes widened to the size of saucers._

_ "T-Toshir-" Ahara began. Toshiro tutted, that smirk disappearing._

_ "You will address me as Captain Hitsugaya, nothing else" Toshiro snapped. Ahara glared at the short Captain before her._

_ "I want…a different squad" Ahara snarled between her teeth, hoping that Toshiro could read her meaning in her eyes._

_ Toshiro could indeed see a lot in those hard angry eyes of Ahara's. He saw hurt, betrayal, fury, sadness, loneliness, and a lot more than the last time he saw her. Toshiro knew that Ahara's eyes were like little windows into her heart, and he felt that most of those feelings in her heart were his fault._

_ "No one else volunteered" Toshiro replied smoothly after a moment, trying to cover his hesitation. The proctor glanced at him. Toshiro ignored her, he knew that several other squads wanted her, including squads 3, 6, 8, 11, and 13, but he was the one who won and he was going to make it worth it. They had been best friends after all._

_End of Recap_

Ahara sighed, running her hand through her hair again. This paperwork never eased up; neither did Toshiro if she didn't finish it.

"I hate this….I'd rather be sparring with Kira or someone…." Ahara groaned, hitting her head on her desk. She sighed again, getting back to work, not wanting to get under Toshiro's skin just yet.

By the time she had gotten done with her paperwork the sun had shifted and was shining across the polished surface of her desk, she guessed it was around 3 in the afternoon. Ahara stretched, groaning and smiled mischieviously.

_Time to pay a visit to kid frostbite…_ Ahara thought, smiling wider and flash stepping out of her room. Ahara stopped outside of the Captain's office for Squad 10 and knocked loudly.

"Go away" Toshiro called, already knowing it was her from sensing her spiritual pressure. Ahara opened the door anyway and stepped inside, crossing her arms.

"Nice to see you too meanie" Ahara responded, sticking her tongue out childishly. Toshiro had a vein pop out in his forehead, and he closed his eyes, calling for patience.

"What…do you want Ahara?" Toshiro asked quietly, barely remaining calm. Ahara smiled again, walking up to his desk.

"I wanted to come by and see how quickly I could irritate you, seems like that time gets shorter every time" Ahara laughed. Toshiro's eyebrow started twitching, and his hand tightened around his pen.

"Is your paperwork done?" Toshiro hissed, trying to get her to go away. Ahara smiled wider recognizing that right away.

"Yup, I finished it before I came, so I can come here to bug you for as long as I'd like…" Ahara replied, taunting him.

"JUST GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO THAN IRRITATE ME!?" Toshiro shouted, causing Ahara to smirk at him.

"Ok, be good then kid frostbite" Ahara chuckled, patting his head and swiftly leaving before he could find anything to throw at her. Ahara ran down the hallways, just in case Toshiro tried giving pursuit. She dodged a group of squad members, and almost ran into the lieutenant.

"Be careful Ahara, I'm guessing from the way you're running that you ticked our Captain off again" Rangiku sighed, latching onto her arm. Ahara smiled.

"All I have to say is that you better have your work done if you're going to stop by" Ahara laughed, taking off again.

"Oh my, how child-like she is…it's a wonder how she ever even got to seat 3" Rangiku murmured, shaking her head.

Ahara walked across the grass with her hands in her pockets, the wind blowing her long hair over her shoulders. She wandered by the squad 13 barracks, waving to the squad members that called out in greeting. She saw Kiyone kneeled by Captain Ukitake's door, with her ear pressed against the wood.

"Kiyone, what are you doing there?" Ahara called out, startling the poor blond girl.

"Proving my loyalty to my Captain, by staying by his side when he is ill" Kiyone stuttered, snapping immediately to attention. As she walked up to her, she chuckled at her stiff manner, and then frowned as what she said registered in her mind.

"He's ill again?" Ahara murmured more to herself than the girl next to her. She knocked quietly on the Captain's door.

"W-Wait Ahara, I don't think he wants disturbed right now!" Kiyone objected as they both listened to the wheezing from the other side of the door. The door opened a small fraction and Ahara pushed it open the rest of the way.

"Hello Ahara, is there anything I may help you with today? And Kiyone, you don't need to sit outside my door like a puppy, I am just fine" Ukitake stated. Kiyone shot to her feet.

"But Captain, you've been having lots of coughing fits; it didn't sound okay to me!" Kiyone objected, putting a fist over her chest. Sentaro then came running and barred the doorway from Ahara and Kiyone.

"Kiyone, you were supposed to let the Captain rest! You weren't supposed to let anyone bother him!" Sentaro exclaimed. Kiyone clenched her fist and got in Sentaro's face.

"Captain Ukitake opened the door himself! It's not like I just ignored Ahara! I tried telling her the Captain was ill!" Kiyone shouted back. Ukitake sighed, holding a hand to his head.

"That's enough you two, I'm okay with Ahara stopping by, you can stop fighting" Ukitake told them, trying to calm the two of them down. Ahara coughed into her hand, trying not to smile or laugh at them.

As the two argued Ukitake sighed, turning to Ahara, smiling weakly.

"Why don't you come with me, they can keep going like that for hours, so there's really no point in trying to stop them" Ukitake chuckled. Ahara nodded, following after the Captain as Kiyone and Sentaro continued their arguing match.

Captain Ukitake shakily seated himself on his couch as Ahara stood across from him.

"I really am okay Ahara, you didn't need to stop by, just because you thought I was ill" Ukitake sighed. Ahara raised one eyebrow as a coughing fit rushed in to contradict his words.

"At the very least allow me to make you some tea, that should help sooth your throat and cause the coughing to recede somewhat" Ahara insisted, already beginning to boil water for a special recipe green tea that was sure to put the Captain in a good mood.

"I thank you for your kindness, and also I applaud you for your determination" Ukitake complimented. Ahara smiled, stirring the tea in the teapot.

"I do what I can, and my Captain calls it bullheadedness" Ahara chuckled. Ukitake chuckled with her.

"As only your Captain can, you two have a mutual understanding of each other, a bond that really no one else has with him, no, not even Hinamori" Ukitake stated. Ahara laughed once, pouring the steaming green tea into two cups and handing one to the Captain, sitting down beside him.

"I guess you're right, it's just that Toshiro always pounds on me really hard, whether it's a forgotten detail on paperwork or just teasing him, he's always really hard on me" Ahara sighed, taking a sip from the cup, almost scalding her tongue.

"That's because he knows that you are better than what you give out, and he's worked hard for his title, so I guess that the teasing isn't really appreciated" Ukitake mused, "but, anyway, what made you want to stop by squad 13 today anyhow?" He took a sip from his own cup and looked at her expectantly.

"I was just wandering, I really had no destination in mind, then I saw Kiyone outside your door and got curious, so I stopped by" Ahara explained. Ukitake nodded thoughtfully.

"Clearing your head after all that paperwork?" Ukitake chuckled, smiling at her. Ahara laughed, nodding, feeling at ease.

"I think that Toshiro even gave me half of Rangiku's work, so that he doesn't have to explain to the Head Captain, again I might add, why his lieutenant is so lazy when it comes to paperwork" Ahara sighed. Ukitake gazed at her, trying to decipher if she was happy or not that he trusted her with that.

"If he knows that you are more capable than Matsumoto, why not make you lieutenant?" Ukitake inquired, staring into his cup. Ahara almost dropped her cup, her body had gone numb and a flashback had enveloped her mind.

_"What do you mean I can't try to become your lieutenant?!" Ahara exclaimed, slamming her hands down on Toshiro's desk in exasperation._

_ "I suggest you back off Ahara, Matsumoto's…a close friend, and I mean exactly what I say when I tell you that you cannot challenge her, I don't care for your reasoning either" Toshiro growled, trying to get her to back down by intimidation. Ahara gritted her teeth, removing her hands from his desk and crossing her arms._

_ "Is it because you just don't trust me to have your back in anything other than paperwork? Is that it?" Ahara hissed. Toshiro didn't say anything, watching her face and her eyes. He saw cold fear there, anger, hatred, and one last thing he could barely perceive because she was trying to bury it inside herself._

_Guilt maybe? No, that can't be it….why would she feel guilty?__ Toshiro thought to himself._

_ "I do trust you Aha…" Toshiro muttered, using his old nickname for her. Ahara shook her head quickly, turning away from him as tears developed in her eyes._

_ "You wouldn't trust me to have your back if it were a choice between Gin Ichimaru and me" Ahara snapped, storming to the door and yanking it open. Toshiro stood up quickly, his hands shaking slightly._

_"Ahara Kurosaki, that is taking things way too far!" Toshiro shouted at her. Ahara huffed, flicking her head indignantly._

_ "Whatever Toshiro, I couldn't care less" Ahara snarled, slamming the door behind her. Toshiro quickly went to the door and reopened it, seeing no one in the hall._

_Her and her stupid pride!__ Toshiro thought furiously._

Ahara blinked, withdrawing from that cold memory quickly.

"Because I think that being Lieutenant would include too much work" Ahara stated smoothly, trying to cover up her hesitation. Ukitake watched as she took another sip from her cup, having noticed that she had hesitated, whether she covered it up or not. Ukitake hummed slightly in acknowledgement, not wanting to press her for information.

Ahara waved to the Captain some time later, smiling brightly with the memory forgotten completely. Ukitake waved back, his skin tone normal and his strength twice what it was before.

"Goodbye Captain!" Ahara called; flash stepping out of the barracks. Ukitake lowered his hand as he watched the girl disappear. His two third seats rushed over to him; quizzing him on his condition persistently.

Ahara appeared outside of the Squad 10 barracks to find her own Captain waiting for her. She skittered to a stop and smiled at him.

"Hey Toshir-"she began. Toshiro's eyebrow twitched.

"Where have you been?' Toshiro snapped, cutting her off swiftly. Ahara sighed.

"I was visiting Captain Ukitake" she explained. Toshiro grumbled under his breath but sighed and jabbed a finger towards the barracks.

"You have a visitor, she's waiting for you outside your quarters" Toshiro growled. Ahara grinned, knowing who waited for her. Ahara reached up and patted his head.

"Ok, thanks frostbite" Ahara laughed as she took off for the barracks before he could hit her.

"STOP PATTING MY HEAD LIKE A CHILD!" Toshiro yelled after her. Ahara laughed again and skidded to a stop as she met up with Nanao Ise.

"Oh hey Ahara, I was just thinking on stopping by another time but I see you're here now" Nanao greeted. Ahara nodded, calming her heartbeat and breathing slightly fast from running.

"So, what's the news?" Ahara inquired impatiently.

"Give me a moment Ahara" Nanao snapped, "anyway, Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai have arrived in the World of the Living, and are due to return this evening, with Rukia Kuchiki in custody" Ahara nodded eagerly.

"Anything on my brother from them?" Ahara asked quickly. The book burdened girl adjusted her glasses and looked at her friend.  
"We have nothing on him I'm afraid, Ahara, but I'm sure that's just because he hasn't bumped into the picture" Nanao assured as her face fell. Ahara sighed again.

"I guess that's a good thing, maybe I could get Toshiro to let me check in on them" Ahara mused. Nanao laughed once.

"Captain Hitsugaya, send his subordinate out, without a very good reason?" Nanao chuckled. Ahara snorted.

"Yeah I guess you're right there" Ahara scoffed, picking up on her subtle hint. Nanao bowed out and headed back towards her own squad. Ahara watched her for a moment before turning and heading further inside her barracks.

Ahara wandered the Squad 10 hallways, not sure of what to do now that nothing urgent was at hand. She greeted the few fellow squad members that happened to pass her by but other than that she did nothing for the next few hours.

Renji and Byakuya watched as Rukia ran down the road in a gigai. Renji observed her closer.

"Yep, that's her alright" Renji muttered. His Captain remained impassive by his side, watching the dark haired girl on the road.

"Hey there Rukia!" Renji called out a short time later, landing in front of the shocked girl. Rukia's eyes widened as she spotted her brother-by-adoption over his shoulder.

"What're you doing here for so long, and in a gigai for that matter?" Renji inquired, tilting his head and grinning. Rukia kept her mouth shut.

"Where's the boy who stole your powers Rukia, tell us now" Renji demanded. Rukia's fists clenched slightly.

"Leave Ichigo out of this Renji!" Rukia shouted. A bespectacled boy with blue-black hair walked up behind her.

"Evening gentlemen…hello Ms. Rukia" the boy stated, making his presence known. Rukia looked back at the boy, her mouth dropping open in shock slightly. The boy held a bag of sunflower seeds in his hand.

"Who's this kid?!" Renji barked.

"U-Uryu" Rukia breathed.

"My name is Uryu, and I was just taking a casual stroll buying some sunflower seeds when I happened to notice this confrontation" Uryu explained, holding up the bag in reference, "I certainly didn't sense a strange reistu and rushed out to Rukia's aid, using sunflower seeds as a convenient excuse" Rukia stared at him, shocked again as he adjusted his glasses.

"No Ichigo! Just stay out of this!" Rukia screamed as her orange haired friend slashed at Renji viciously. Byakuya stepped forward, disappearing from their view momentarily and reappearing behind Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes widened as a wave of blood gushed from the diagonal slash Byakuya had made on his chest, effectively cutting his soul chain and Shinigami powers off.

Rukia had tears in her eyes as she stepped through the Rukongai with Renji and Byakuya, she looked back at the dying orange haired boy, who looked back at her in helplessness. The gates closed behind her with a loud boom, hiding him from her view.

"Come. Rukia" Byakuya ordered.

Ahara was lounging in a tree when Toshiro found her later on that evening.

"Oi! Kurosaki!" he called up to her. Ahara panicked and nearly fell from her perch in the tree.

"Don't scare me like that Captain!" Ahara shouted, glaring down at him balefully. Toshiro shook his head, looking back up at her.

"They're back, and you wanted to know when they did get back" Toshiro countered. Ahara's eyebrows shot up and she flipped off of the tree, landing nimbly on her feet behind him.

"Thanks Toshi" Ahara murmured before flash stepping. Toshiro turned, hoping to catch her eye before she left but she had already gone.

Byakuya sat in his office, writing down details on his paperwork, the candles flickering slightly as a slight wind blew through his door. He glanced up briefly, noticing the wind. He saw the orange haired girl standing there, her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her.

"Come in officer" Byakuya stated dully. Ahara quickly came in and bowed formally.

"How did the mission go Captain?" Ahara inquired, straightening up. Byakuya turned back to his papers.

"The mission went well" Byakuya answered simply. Ahara shuffled her feet.

"Did…did my brother interfere?" Ahara asked quietly. Byakuya glanced up, seeing that she was staring at her feet.

"Yes" Byakuya answered coolly, watching her head whip up, "and I killed him for it." He watched as horror and despair registered on her face soon after those words reached her ears. Her skin turned deathly pale as all the blood drained from it.

"W-Why?" Ahara stammered. Byakuya continued to stare deep into her caramel brown eyes, seeing her brother reflecting in them.

"He got in the way of what I needed to do" Byakuya answered simply. Ahara's mouth opened, but no words came out.

"YOU MONSTER! HE WAS JUST A TEENAGER!" Ahara shrieked, tears pouring down her face and her fists clenched at her sides. Several squad members filed in as they heard Ahara's scream.

"Get her out of my office, put her in a holding cell, and call her Captain to come pick her up" Byakuya ordered over Ahara's sobbing.

Renji watched as they pushed Ahara into a cell, and as his friend curled into the fetal position, balling. He stepped aside as Toshiro and Rangiku came in. Ahara was still crying but it was much quieter.

"Kurosaki! Get up!" Toshiro snapped unflinchingly. Rangiku stared at him reproachfully.

"Captain, be a little nicer than that" Rangiku huffed, stepping forward as the squad members unlocked Ahara's cell. Rangiku held out a tender hand and Ahara took it numbly.

"What were you thinking, screaming at a Captain that way?!" Toshiro demanded as soon as she was within range. Rangiku glared at him as Ahara stared at the floor.

"He murdered my brother, and he did it for 'duty'" Ahara muttered, feeling hollow on the inside. Toshiro's mouth snapped shut after he heard that, whatever angry response he had vanished.

"He killed Ichigo?" Toshiro repeated, not sure if he had misheard her.

"Yes, Ichigo is dead" Ahara responded in a monotone.

**Ok, I know I skipped a lot in the battle of Ichigo vs Renji and Byakuya, but I didn't exactly remember every little detail XD Gomen Gomen, I hope you like it anyway. So my best friend is going to be gone for the weekend and I thought I might as well work on these, sorry for the wait! Love you!**

**~UltimateReader18**


	3. Chapter 2

**Ok I know that this is a little late but I apologize...I've been sick recently and haven't had the chance or the time to come work on it, but good news is that I've already begun chapter 3 so :3 no worries. Please leave reviews!**

Toshiro watched her face, realizing that this was the first time he had seen her so depressed, so lonely, so lost. As Toshiro watched, he saw Ahara continue dying from the inside out, and felt hopeless because there were no words that could comfort her now, not even from him.

"Come on Aha, I'll take you back to the barracks" Toshiro muttered. Toshiro lead Ahara away from squad six, but she seemed to only be moving by her automatic instincts, her will and soul seemed crushed. Toshiro stopped outside her quarters, turning almost unwillingly to her, he didn't want to watch his best friend's face fall before his very eyes.

"Look, why not get some sleep, everything will be okay Ahara," Toshiro told her as she numbly went into her room and began shutting the door behind her.

"I'll have nightmares about him, about Ichi, and I don't want to watch that," Ahara replied in a monotone, fully shutting the door after that. Toshiro stared at the door for a moment and turned to leave, but that was when he heard the crying start. Toshiro looked back at the door, wanting to turn around and go to comfort her, but he knew that it wasn't his place to comfort her; she would just have to handle it on her own. Toshiro flash stepped quickly before he could change his mind.

The two days following the scene with Byakuya, Ahara never went out in public; she stayed out of sight and for the most part, out of mind. Toshiro would have worried that she committed suicide if it weren't for her part of the paperwork being turned in by other squad members. Toshiro found that he was rather quite lonely sitting in his office, and that every time there was a knock on the door, he hoped that it was Ahara coming back to tease him like always. He finally got fed up with the loneliness and made up his mind; he was going to go visit her, to check in on her.

Toshiro knocked on Ahara's door gently, waiting and waiting, but receiving no answer. Toshiro grew impatient and knocked on the door more harshly.

"Damn it Ahara, stop moping and open up the door!" Toshiro shouted. He heard a familiar chuckle and turned on his heel, spotting his lieutenant leaning on the wall across from him.

"Ahara's not even in the barracks Captain, she's over at Squad 3 with Captain Ichimaru and Lieutenant Kira" Rangiku explained. Toshiro's eyebrow twitched.

"And how long were you standing there, watching me?" Toshiro growled. Rangiku laughed.

"Long enough" she edged. Toshiro had a vein pulse in his forehead.

"You could have told me as soon as you saw me!" Toshiro shouted, his patience snapping completely. Rangiku covered her mouth with her hand as she broke into laughter.

"Matsumoto!" Toshiro exclaimed, his anger rising as she laughed at him. She waved her hand dismissively.

"Sorry, sorry Captain, it's just the look on your face" Rangiku cleared her throat and rearranged her face as she became serious, "I talked to Ahara today, while I was at Squad 3, she seemed really out of it, so I'm glad that she went to Gin, they know each other pretty well…" Toshiro scowled.

"Ahara knows by now that I don't trust Ichimaru, if she had problems, why not come to me about it? I've known her just as long as Ichimaru has!" Toshiro grumbled. Rangiku sighed.

"Sometimes Captain, your attitude makes people afraid to approach you, maybe she was banking on that fear when she went to Gin's today" Rangiku explained to him. Toshiro frowned slightly, folding his hands back in his hakama.

"Tch, either way, I'm going to get her from Squad 3" Toshiro scoffed, turning his head to the side. He flash stepped to the roof of the barracks before Rangiku could say any more to him about the matter.

When Toshiro arrived to Squad 3 he noticed that a few of the squad members were milling about and chatting amongst one another. He walked a little faster, his mindset returning to finding his officer.

A little while later he saw that Ichimaru, Kira, and Ahara were sitting on the pathway just outside of Ichimaru's office, in a small secluded triangle. Toshiro noticed that Ahara's shoulders shook slightly every few moments, like she was so close to breaking down again. He saw Izuru pat her back consolingly, while Ichimaru began talking to her, his smirk not as evident as when he was around other people.

"Ya know, if your brother was anythin' like you Aha, he'd still be alive, because I know that even if it was Kuchiki who wounded you, you'd find some way to stand back up again" Gin was saying. Toshiro's heart clenched as his fists did as he heard that nickname and those words leave Ichimaru's mouth. Something similar to boiling hot rage swelled up inside of him and he grit his teeth, marching up on the group.

"Kurosaki!" Toshiro barked, causing both Ahara and Izuru to jolt slightly. Ahara turned her head towards him, her eyes slightly wide.

Toshiro felt that rage-like feeling vanish as pity took its place. Ahara's eyes were swollen slightly and red around the edges; she also looked like she hadn't had a drop of sleep the past few days, there were bags and dark circles under her eyes. He saw her lower lip quiver the slightest bit and he knew he couldn't be too tough on her because that would cause her to snap completely.

"Why'd you leave the barracks like that?" Toshiro demanded, keeping his voice at irritation level instead of screaming at her like he wanted to. Ahara blinked.

"Cause I wanted to talk to Gin" she answered simply, wiping at her eyes. He saw Gin's smirk grow wider out of the corner of his eye.

"You could've come to my office and talked about it Ahara" Toshiro responded snappishly. Ahara's shoulders squared and a little of the frailty left her face as her expression hardened.

"You're always telling me to stay out of your office Captain, so why is it different this time?" Ahara inquired, her voice shaking less than it had before. Toshiro's eyes tightened slightly.

_It's different this time because I don't want you getting hurt by Ichimaru…You know I don't trust him…_is what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to say it in front of Ichimaru, and it seemed a little too caring to be from a Captain to his subordinate.

"J-Just go back to the barracks!" Toshiro exclaimed, finding no good answer for her question that he wanted to say to her. Ahara sighed, getting to her feet. Ichimaru and Izuru also stood.

"You come by anytime ok Aha?" Ichimaru said to her, his face softening the slightest bit. Toshiro's heart clenched again and he glowered at Ichimaru. He watched as Ahara, Izuru, and Gin exchanged hugs, and as she walked off without acknowledging if he wanted to escort her or not. He didn't mind this time, he had a few things to clarify with the fox-faced Captain beside him.

"I'll give you a warning now Ichimaru, if you ever harm ANYONE I care for, like Kurosaki or Hinamori, I will kill you myself" Toshiro snarled, turning his back on the Captain.

"Tch…I have no intention of hurting Aha, or even Momo for that matter" Gin tutted. Toshiro growled low, his back still to Ichimaru.

"Her name…to you Ichimaru…is not Aha, it's Ahara or Ms. Kurosaki, nothing else, and if I ever hear you call her by that name again…" Toshiro trailed off, letting the threat be Ichimaru's to figure out. He followed his orange haired officer out of Squad 3.

Gin watched the short silver haired boy walk away, his smirk widening. The boy certainly had some bite, but he didn't scare Gin, not one bit. Then again nothing really did throw Gin.

"C-Captain Ichimaru, w-why did Captain Hitsugaya just threaten you?" Izuru stammered his eyes also on the Squad 10 Captain. Gin chuckled.

"Because he thinks that I'm a threat to Ahara, he thinks I'm a threat to everyone" Gin explained, still chuckling.

_But how wrong he is…his intuition is impressive…but he can't see through Aizen, only Ahara and I seem to be the ones to know…And Tosen…_Gin thought seriously. Gin turned on his heel and began walking away from his Lieutenant.

"C-Captain, where are you going?" Izuru inquired, turning to watch him go.

"No where in particular" Gin responded vaguely.

Ahara sat on her couch the moment she got back to her quarters in the barracks, thinking about her brother, as she had for the past few days. Suddenly a broadcast was blaring all over the Soul Society, causing her to sit up quickly and look around panicking.

"A notification from the Central 46, Kuchiki Rukia's punishment shall be execution by the Sogyokyu 25 days from now, I repeat, Kuchiki Rukia's punishment shall be execution by the Sogyokyu 25 days from now" the announcement said. Ahara's eyes watered.

_Such a harsh punishment…_Ahara thought sorrowfully. Ahara stayed on her couch for a moment, determining if visiting Rukia was a good choice or not. She eventually got up and left the barracks, heading for squad 13's holding cells.

She barely passed by anyone when she reached squad 13, and she felt a slight chill in the air. When she did pass by people she heard the murmurs.

"One of our own…being executed" one Shinigami said to the other next to them.

"I'd heard she was specifically close to Captain Ukitake" another whispered. Ahara shook her head quickly and continued walking. She stopped outside the holding cells.

Rukia sat in a chair with her back to Ahara, and she wore a simple white kimono, not unlike the one under the black hakama in their uniforms. Her dark hair was highlighted by the sun streaming through the window above her. Ahara gently tapped on one of the bars of the cell, causing Rukia to turn her head and look at her. Her violet eyes looked peaceful, like she had come to terms with her fate.

"Hey Kuchiki" Ahara greeted, half smiling. Rukia turned back around, facing the wall again; for the most part she was in the dark.

"Hello Ahara, why did you come to see me today?" Rukia asked. Ahara blinked something about her question made her think that she was accusing her of stopping by. Ahara smiled sadly, she would've done the same, because if she had come to terms with her punishment, she wouldn't have wanted old friends stopping by either, it would just make the whole thing more painful for everyone involved.

"Quite honestly, I had debated coming to visit at all" Ahara rubbed the back of her head as Rukia looked back at her, "I didn't want to make everything harder on you Rukia, its just….I wanted to see you, before…you know" Tears pricked in Ahara's eyes.

Rukia watched as her friend explained why she was there, and she rubbed the back of her head when she was nervous, just like her brother. Rukia smiled faintly, Ichigo would have a good time if he knew about Ahara, and they would be really close.

_It makes me sad…because she looks so much like him…I just hope that he doesn't come after me, but knowing Ichigo…that's really just too much to ask_ Rukia thought to herself, turning back to the wall once again and staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

Ahara stopped talking when Rukia turned back around. She stared at the small girl, saddened again.

"Thank you…" Ahara's eyes widened the slightest bit, "thank you…Ahara…for stopping by" Ahara nodded, trying not to cry, Rukia made it sound like goodbye, which…in a way…it was for both of them. Ahara quickly turned and left the barracks before anyone could see her cry.

Ahara ran into Gin as she ran back to her squad. Gin kept her from falling by holding her elbows up.

"Careful Ahara" Gin warned. Ahara sniffled and nodded, staring at her feet. Gin lifted her chin.

"You're crying again" Gin observed. Ahara looked to the side, her stubborn attitude coming back.

"Why're ya cryin' this time?" Gin asked, smirking, and poking fun at her. Ahara scoffed.

"You make it sound as if I cry all the time" Ahara snapped back, irritated. Gin smirked wider.

"Lately, it seems ya do actually" Gin teased. Ahara glared at him.

"You would too…actually I take that back, you wouldn't, you never show any emotion but amusement" Ahara snarled. Gin pursed his lips, and then grinned again.

"Ya don't know me well enough to assume that Aha" Gin responded levelly. Ahara turned away from the smirking Captain, her pride wounded.

"Find someone else to make fun of Captain" Ahara snapped. Gin reached out and patted her head. Ahara's eyebrow twitched and she gritted her teeth, her fist rising and clenching.

"Why…are you patting my head?" Ahara growled. Gin smirked.

"Treating you like the little kid you're acting like" Gin responded simply. Ahara closed her eyes tightly. She suddenly pushed her face in Gin's angrily.

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD!" Ahara screamed at him. Gin's smirk widened.

"Then stop acting like one" Gin responded. Ahara stormed away before he could say anymore.

Toshiro hid behind a tree as the two talked. He wasn't about to let Ichimaru meet up with Ahara alone. He didn't trust Ichimaru, and he wasn't about to have her hurt by him. Watching them quietly, he noticed that Ahara and Gin did have a mutual understanding on something neither of them was spilling. He didn't like the fact that the two of them knew something that he did not, especially something so big that Ahara would trust Gin of all people.

Toshiro watched as Ahara started screaming at the Captain for treating her like a kid, then she stormed away after Gin retorted with something else.

_That's my girl_ Toshiro thought fondly as Ahara stormed away from Gin. Then he cursed, he was likely to be the next person she interacted with, and her temper was at a boiling point.

"Perfect…" Toshiro grumbled to himself, waiting until Ichimaru had walked away to move.

Ahara stormed back to her quarters, her temper levels really high. She grumbled to herself about how stupid Gin was and how she didn't look anything like a little kid.

A few days later however, Ahara stared out of her window in shock as she watched the green gates came down all around the Seireitei. Some one was coming to the Soul Society, and they were doing it illegally.

**I understand that the ending is a little awkward but I did my best. Leave reviews and I love you all ~UltimateReader18**


	4. Chapter 3

Ahara was having on hell of a day. Her mind was racing from what her previous mentor had told her.

_"Ichigo's alive, just so ya know little strawberry" Gin had said, and then he left as soon as he had come. Ahara stared after him._

_ "Gin-shisho! You didn't hurt him did you?!" Ahara shouted after him. Gin turned halfway to her._

_ "He looked too much like you" was all he said. That gave her all the reassurance she needed._

Ahara tore through the squad 10 barracks as fast as she could, making everyone else seem like they were standing still. She skidded to a stop outside of the squad 11 barracks, stuck in the maze like pathways. She felt a flicker of reistu that was not recognizable. There were two reistus she didn't recognize, two that she did. Yumichika and Ikaku were facing off against two of the ryoka, she knew that much, she just didn't know which ryoka they were. She leapt up onto one of the walls and stared down at Ikaku and Yumichika. A familiar orange head popped out of the sand puddle that was in the middle of the road. Another bulky figure next to the orange haired Shinigami appeared, having familiar cannon on his back.

"Well I'll be damned…Ganju…and Ichi…" Ahara whispered to herself. Ikaku soon after finding the two of them started dancing and singing his 'lucky song'. Ahara clasped a hand to her forehead and flash stepped quickly before anyone noticed she was there.

Ahara kneeled on squad 4's barrack roof and gazed around, not spotting anything out of the ordinary until she saw the cat. It was sleek, black, had no collar, and when it turned to her its eyes were yellow. Ahara had a grin slowly spreading across her face as recognition flashed in her and the cat's eyes. Ahara sat cross legged and rested her elbows on her knees, holding up her head with the heels of her hands. The cat cautiously padded towards her, its eyes slightly narrowed.

"Ahara?" it said in a male voice. Ahara grinned again, tenderly reaching out a hand towards its head.

"Yup, it's been a while…Yoruichi" Ahara responded. The cat seemed to grin as well, rubbing its head against Ahara's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Ahara asked, still watching the cat. Yoruichi sat next to her and flicked her tail back and forth.

"Do you know about Rukia Kuchiki?" Yoruichi inquired. Ahara nodded.

"Of course, almost everyone in the Soul Society knows about her execution" Ahara answered. Yoruichi closed her eyes, nodding slightly.

"Yes, we're here to stop the execution, Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, Uryu, and Kukaku's brother Ganju" Yoruichi explained. Ahara slapped her fist into her other hand.

"I knew it, Ikaku and Yumichika were with them, I trust Ichigo has regained his powers?" Ahara stated, turning to the cat.

"He trained with Urahara for 5 days and nights total; did you notice his zanpakuto as well?" Yoruichi inquired, nodding again. Ahara nodded.

"It's always going to be in Shikai isn't it, because he's horrible at controlling his reistu" Ahara chuckled. Yoruichi chuckled once as well.

"You assume correctly" Yoruichi sighed. Ahara remembered back to when the war state had been issued, when that bright blue cannon ball had hit the force field around the Seireitei.

"Kukaku's Flower Crane?" Ahara asked. Yoruichi nodded.

"It took Ichigo a long time to be able to control his reistu that much, even then it was difficult for him" Yoruichi explained. Ahara glanced down at her zanpakuto, Kaguyahime, who was resting at a diagonal angle on her back.

"I don't want to fight you guys Yoruichi…but with a war state issued, and an order to attack all ryoka on sight, I don't know what to do" Ahara sighed.

"If you are worried about trouble you must have matured somewhat" Yoruichi stated, laughing quietly.

"Aww, you know that's not exactly fair, the orders are from the So-Taicho himself. You also know that he can be as scary as hell when he wants to be" Ahara retorted, snorting quietly. Yoruichi chuckled fondly, licking at her paw for a moment.

"You should get going, someone might see you, and you might get accused of helping the 'enemy', then they'll put you up right after Rukia" Yoruichi warned. Ahara sighed, getting to her feet.

"I wish you all luck Yoruichi, please get them all back in one piece, including Rukia" Ahara stated over her shoulder, flash stepping away from the black cat.

_ I'll do what I can Ahara…I promise_ Yoruichi thought sadly, watching her go. Yoruichi got up and padded to the edge of the roof, looking over the pathways in Squad 4, curious.

Ahara got back to her barracks sometime later and Toshiro was instructing the entire squad. Ahara jumped into her place in the very front, the first member in line since Rangiku stood next to Toshiro as lieutenant. Ahara flinched on the inside, noticing her Captain's eyes swooped down on her immediately.

"You are to simply follow the war state rules, and arrest or attack any ryoka on sight, understood?" Toshiro barked.

"Yes, Captain Hitsugaya, sir!" the squad chorused.

"You are dismissed then!" Toshiro called out. Immediately everyone broke out to go look for the ryoka, Ahara tried slipping away with a large group heading west, but Toshiro's voice called her back.

"A moment seat 3" Toshiro muttered, knowing she heard even over the clamor of the other squad members. He saw Ahara's shoulders scrunch up as she stopped and turned around.

"Y-Yes Captain?" Ahara asked shakily, scared. Toshiro's eyes narrowed at her.

"Where were you during the debriefing?" Toshiro inquired. Ahara blinked, trying to come up with a good enough response.

"I was looking for the ryoka" Ahara half lied, half telling the truth. She had been indeed looking for the ryoka, but not for the purposes that everyone else had in mind. Toshiro looked thoughtful.

"Alright, continue searching, the moment that this chaos and confusion is all over will be a blessing" Toshiro sighed as he and Rangiku walked away from her. Ahara sighed in relief, gladly taking off west like she originally planned.

Uryu flattened himself against the wall, holding Orihime back in the shadows with his arm, as another set of running footsteps came towards them. Uryu peered out onto the path just as a female Soul Reaper ran past. Uryu's eyes widened and he whipped his head around to stare for a moment, fully processing what he saw.

Spiked, and then grown out orange hair, black hakama uniform, and a zanpakuto tied at her waist. Even the way she ran, it screamed out who she really was. She must've seen Uryu out of the corner of her eye because she looked over her shoulder to gaze back at his surprised face. She was suddenly using hand signals to tell him something before she disappeared.

_She was telling me to run, and to hide_ Uryu thought, shocked again. He edged back into the alley, where Orihime waited anxiously.

"What is it Ishida-kun? You look like you saw a ghost" Orihime whispered. Uryu stared at the wall across from him, thinking hard.

_She looked just like Ichigo…that's no coincidence…but does he know she's here? Does anyone else know she's here?_ Uryu asked himself, his expression curious. Orihime waved a hand in front of his face to catch his attention again.

"Ishiiiiiiiida-kun?" Orihime drawled out, waving her hand. Uryu blinked.

"Sorry Inoue, I had something on my mind" Uryu explained.

"Well, I was just thinking about how we both don't really look very different from the Soul Reapers, if we only had one of their uniforms" Orihime proposed, "I think that if we had uniforms it would make finding Rukia much easier! Don't you think?" Uryu stared at the auburn haired girl, considering her mental sanity.

"It's worth a shot" Uryu eventually sighed.

Ahara flash stepped at the end of the walkway, effectively ending her silent warning with the blue haired ryoka boy. She landed around squad 6, taking off running again, hoping that no one thought anything of her, she needed the low key profile for the moment. She flash stepped again, trying to track down all of the ryoka reistus that she had not yet identified. She knew that she had seen Ichigo, Ganju, Yoruichi, she guessed Uryu, and Orihime, now all that was left was to find Sado and warn him.

By the time she got to squad 8, where the last remaining foreign reistu remained, she sensed Captain Kyoraku was already taking control of the situation. Ahara cursed under her breath as she heard a resounding crash from within the barracks.

"No no no, Captain Kyoraku…please just go back to lying down…" Ahara begged, praying. She realized she was too late when she noticed that the boy's reistu was already fading. Ahara charged forward, running right into the Captain as he ordered some squad 4 members to take the black ryoka boy to squad 4. Ahara stared in shock at the scene before her, only turning away when Kyoraku touched her shoulder.

"You are loyal to the ryoka…are you not?" Kyoraku inquired. Ahara stared in shock at the pink dressed Captain.

"Y-Yes sir, I've heard my brother was with them" Ahara nodded shakily. Kyoraku hummed in curiosity, looking down at her, but not really looking at her.

"P-Please don't arrest me Captain…I don't think that the ryoka mean any harm, they're just here for Rukia" Ahara spluttered, pleading. The Captain chuckled and rubbed her head reassuringly.

"Do not worry Ahara, I have no habits of throwing pretty women in cells, nor do I differ with you on this idea with the ryoka…now excuse me…I have matters to attend to" Kyoraku responded, turning and walking away from her. Ahara stared after him, utterly confused, he had sounded just like his old self…but yet he had never said anything so mind boggling.

_I wonder…what is he planning?_ Ahara thought to herself as she left the squad 8 barracks. By the time she had gotten back to her squad, someone was already looking for her.

"Kurosaki!" someone yelled at her as she ran towards her quarters, hoping to sit back and think about everything that was happening, to find out the purpose. She looked over her shoulder to see one of her own squad members running after her, so she stopped.

"Yes, what is it?" Ahara inquired, somewhat impatient and harsh.

"Captain Hitsugaya was looking for you, he said that he had something to discuss with you" the squad member explained, coming to a stop next to her. Ahara groaned internally and mentally smacked her forehead.

"Thank you, I shall go see what he wants" Ahara sighed, already of the mindset that she was in trouble. The squad member left shortly after she did.

Ahara trudged towards her Captain's office, not wanting to face him if he was angry with her. She knocked quietly on his door once she arrived, trying to be as calm as possible.

"Come in" his voice called, much calmer than she had thought it would be. She twisted the knob and stepped inside.

"You wanted to see me Captain?" Ahara murmured, bowing slightly. Toshiro looked up from what he was working on.

"Yeah…are you alright Kurosaki?" Toshiro asked, watching her face.

"Yes sir, I'm fine, why?" Ahara responded a little confused.

"Well, I heard that your brother was with the ryoka, and I was concerned about how you were taking this" Toshiro explained. Ahara smiled on the inside, seeing her old friend in the Captain again.

"I am fine, I promise" Ahara assured him. Toshiro frowned a little.

"Even if you have to kill him?" Toshiro inquired. Ahara sighed.

_Oh nope…the feeling's gone again…he's still a little brat_ Ahara groaned mentally. At the thought she had to stifle a giggle, which seemed to annoy him.

"What are you laughing for?" Toshiro demanded, irritated. Ahara waved her hand dismissively.

"Sorry, sorry Captain, but I am going to be ok, I am after all a Shinigami" Ahara replied, smiling on the outside, but really wanting to hit him for being so cold and uncaring. Toshiro nodded slightly.

"If you're sure then, it seems that Captain Kyoraku has put one of the ryoka into squad 4's holding cells, I wonder why he just didn't kill him" Toshiro mumbled, more to himself than her. Ahara's eyes widened, Captain Kyoraku had put the ryoka into custody? She was becoming confused because no one was acting normal, except Toshiro and a few others. Ahara quickly ducked out of the Captain's office without his noticing and headed directly for squad 4.

When she got there, she saw several of the squad members rushing about, calling out orders to each other and such. Ahara ignored them for the moment and weaved her way towards the squad 4 holding cells. On her way there she ran into the Captain of squad 4, Unohana Retsu.

"Hello Ahara, why do you visit squad 4 today?" Unohana inquired. Ahara froze as she heard the Captain's voice behind her.

"I-I was sent by my Captain to-to interrogate the ryoka that was admitted by Captain Kyoraku" Ahara lied, clapping herself on the back for such quick thinking.

"Oh, please continue then, maybe when this is all over we can sit down and have a chat, I haven't seen you in a while" Unohana stated, beginning to walk back the way she came.

"Yes, of course Captain Unohana!" Ahara called after her, glad that the woman wasn't suspicious. Ahara stopped outside the holding cell and spotted the boy lying on the cot which reminded her of the prisons in the world of the living.

"Pst, you there, Sado Chad was it?" Ahara hissed. The boy's head turned her way but she couldn't see his eyes, so she thought he might be sleeping.

"Who are you?" his deep voice asked. Ahara blinked in surprise, holding the cell bars.

"My name…is Ahara…I need to know what you're here for…and who else is with you" Ahara responded, keeping up the pretense of a simple investigation. The boy kept staring at her, not answering.  
"I won't tell you that" the boy responded. Ahara glanced around quickly, checking to see if anyone was around.

"You're going to be ok, you were lucky you faced Captain Kyoraku, he's one of the ones who is likely to support you and the other ryoka, now I need to know where Ichigo and the others are" Ahara whispered quickly, urgently. The boy drew in a surprised breath.

"You…know Ichigo?" the boy murmured. Ahara nodded.

"I guess you can't be all…bad…Ichigo was with Shiba Ganju, Ishida and Inoue were together…and Yoruichi-san was alone…" the boy explained. Ahara whispered her thanks to the boy and left quickly before anyone else caught her there. Ahara tracked the reistu that flared wildly, and was nearly identical to hers. Then she caught wind of Kenpachi with him.

"N-Not Kenpachi….that man will murder him…." Ahara breathed, running faster. Her prayers went completely unanswered as the two reistus crashed against each other violently. Ahara shook her head fast, begging the two to stop fighting right away because she knew that Ichigo would surely die against the blood-loving Captain of squad 11. It infuriated her that she was making so little process towards squad 11, but she had headed off from squad 4 which didn't help the situation much at all.

_That idiot…he can't control his reistu at all! If I can sense it from squad 4, I'm sure that everyone within the Seireitei can sense it too! But…I hope they don't take action because Kenpachi is facing off against him_ Ahara thought, _then again I hope I make it in time to stop the both of them before someone ends up dead…most likely my brother_.

Ahara reached the eye of the storm a while later, but it wasn't much calmer than the outside at all. She saw Ichigo and Kenpachi lying side by side in opposite directions, hopefully unconscious. Ahara observed the gigantic sword in Ichigo's hand; the butler knife like style, noticing the sword had no hilt, and had a white cloth that fluttered off of the end of the handle. She kneeled next to her brother and touched his spikey orange hair, similar to her own. She muttered the spell for one of the healing kido she knew and began healing some of the more major wounds that he had sustained. Before she was even halfway through that though, she noticed the black cat again.

"Yoruichi" Ahara stated simply, sitting back on her heels. The cat carried clothes in its mouth.

"I'll handle that, he needs more training" Yoruichi told her, noticing the faint traces of the reistu she had used for the kido spell. Ahara sighed.

"Please take good care of him, and make sure that Kenpachi gets treated too, it seems I underestimated my brother…and it would look suspicious if the ryoka disappeared with a Captain being injured by him…they'd hunt you like dogs" Ahara explained to the cat. The cat dipped her head once. Ahara stood up, brushing herself off and walked away from the battle ground, fighting the urge to turn around and get her brother herself. She knew that Yoruichi would be of more help, because Ahara, as a Shinigami, had no where to keep him a secret, to hide him, and she couldn't just disappear either, that would get her arrested if they found her, and Toshiro would be pissed.

Ahara was just walking across the fields in squad 5 when the miraculous silence was shattered by a scream that she recognized.

"AIZEN-TAICHO!" a voice shrieked. Ahara whipped her head around, the urgent yelling beginning immediately after the scream. She ran towards where the scream came from, wanting to make sure the person who had made such an agonized shout was ok. Ahara skidded to a stop behind a humongous group that was standing on the walkway, gasping and crying, pointing up at something on the tower before them. Ahara slowly looked up and her jaw dropped, her eyes widening.

The Captain of 5, Sosuke Aizen, had been killed, and stuck to the tower with a sword protruding from his chest. That was when she noticed the small dark haired girl in the front of the group, screaming and balling.

"Momo!" Ahara shouted, attempting to push her way up to the small girl who had just collapsed on her knees.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY DAMN IT!" Ahara snarled as the squad members continued to block her way. Several of them turned in shock and parted for her. Ahara threw herself on her knees beside the trembling Lieutenant. She glanced up again, staring at the Captain's face, which smiled down at them all as if he were the Christian's 'Jesus' being crucified on the cross. Ahara couldn't look away from the dead Captain, it was like a train wreck, she just couldn't tear her eyes from his bespectacled ones.


End file.
